The MIA|Film co-production Market & Pitching Forum presented to the international film industry 15 feature film projects selected from 10 countries. The projects have been evaluated and selected by a selection committee composed of Ed Guiney (Founder and Co-Ceo, Element Pictures, Ireland), Harriet Harper-Jones (Independent Producer and Consultant, Sappho Screen, UK), Rocio Jadue (Head of LatAm Films, Fabula, Chile), Stéphane Marchi (CEO and Co-Founder, N9NE Studio, France), Len Rowles (Head of Development, Protagonist Pictures, UK), Bérénice Vincent (Co-Founder, Totem Films, France).
10 of the 15 selected projects are by women directors, and most of the selection (12 titles) consists of first or second feature films.
First feature films are: BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN ELECTRIC FISH by Malina Mackiewicz, where an original, dystopian context becomes the background of a story about two thirteen year old girls who approach adulthood; FORASTERA by Lucia Alenar Iglesias which, with an eccentric vision of the spirits world, deals with the topic of mourning through the eyes of a girl who has lost her grandmother; AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD by Amelia Nanni, which mixes life and death in a deep and personal story set in a dying village in Tuscany; DEEP QUIET ROOM by Ko-Shang Shen who explores the most intimate and unbearable secrets of an apparently ordinary couple through the memories of a young widower; EUROPA, a bilingual dramedy where the Kurdish-Norwegian director Brwa Vahabpour represents, through different genres and tones, the encounter between Western and Middle Eastern culture;
JELLYFISH by Hella Wenders, a film about fear and courage, produced by Road Movies, the historic production company established by Wim Wenders; MAMI WATA by Askia Traoré, where a tragic personal event starts a deep meditation on evil between breathtaking African landscapes, violence, witchcraft and voodoo rituals; and the Italian THROUGH THE WINTER, about the adventures of a girl who faces fascinating, North-Italian woods in a winter of the nineteenth century, written by Anita Rivaroli, screenwriter of the first season of SKAM Italia and Summertime.
The other selected projects are: KELLY FAUSTER IS A KILLER by Marie-Hélène Roux, an intriguing plot that overlaps more genres, where the clash between a journalist and an actress brings to surface the controversial truth hidden by appearances; STRANGER IN A VILLAGE by Samir, a delicate exploration of racism, where the contrast between whites and blacks reflects the imbalances of power in the history of empires and colonies; SUMMER SPELL by Rinio Dragasaki who, after the award-winning debut Cosmic Candy, is back with a film about the powerful but complex bond between two sisters, through imaginative adventures and first loves.
In addition to the international selection, for the third consecutive year the MIA|Film Co-Production Market & Pitching Forum presents WANNA TASTE IT?, a section exclusively devoted to Italian film projects at an earlier stage of development. The program aims to be a launchpad and a propeller for the Italian industry and talent, through organized networking with potential co-producers, sales and financiers, and high-level training, providing feedback and counseling from industry experts, representatives of institutions and funds.
The three projects selected this year: BRIANZA by Simone Catania, inspired by a news story, portraying a quiet bourgeois who, after bankruptcy, ends up committing acts of almost surreal violence in order to preserve appearances; IT’S NO BIG DEAL by Valentina Zanella, based on the novel by Alessia Gazzola, where an ambitious young woman, after her dreams come true, wonders if she is really happy; THE NIGHT BURNS by Angelica Gallo, based on real events, which on a complex cultural background analyzes the spread of juvenile violence over small Italian provinces.
For the first time on the 2022 edition, the selected titles competed for the ILBE Awards, two prizes to support the development of two projects presented as part of the Film co-production Market & Pitching Forum.
A special jury, composed of a representative of ILBE and two other industry professionals, will assign the two awards:
– The ILBE AWARD worth 10,000 euros went to Through The Winter by Anita Rivaroli, produced by Indiana Production
– The ILBE Award worth 5,000 euros to the best project chosen from those selected in the section Wanna Taste IT?, exclusively devoted to Italian film projects at an earlier stage of development, aiming to be a launchpad and a propeller for the Italian industry and talent went to Brianza by Simone Catania, produced by Indyca and Rough Cat.
Besides, this year, MIA once again presented the ARTEKino International Prize, a €6.000 cash prize with which ARTE intends to support emerging directors and producers from all over the world.
The ARTEKino International Prize has been awarded to Forastera by Lucia Alenar Iglesias, produced by Lastor Media (Spagna).
FILM CO-PRODUCTION MARKET & PITCHING FORUM
2022 SELECTION
AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD by Amelia Nanni (Belgium)
Produced by Isabelle Truc (Iota Production)
BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN ELECTRIC FISH by Malina Mackiewicz (Italy)
Produced by Andrea Paris, Matteo Rovere (Ascent Film)
DEEP QUIET ROOM by Ko-Shang Shen (Taiwan)
Produced by Patrick Mao Huang (Flash Forward Entertainment), Sylvia Yea-Chun Shih (Wind Rises Entertainment), Yu-Ning Chu (Oxygen Films)
EUROPA by Brwa Vahabpour (Norway)
Produced by Renée Mlodyszewski (True Content Production Norway)
FORASTERA by Lucia Alenar Iglesias (Spain)
Produced by Marta Cruañas Compes, Ariadna Dot, Tono Folguera (Lastor Media)
JELLYFISH by Hella Wenders (Germany)
Produced by Léa Germain (Road Movies)
KELLY FAUSTER IS A KILLER by Marie-Hélène Roux (France)
Produced by Cynthia Pinet (Petites Poupées Production)
MAMI WATA by Askia Traoré (France)
Produced by Sébastien Onomo (Special Touch Studios)
ORLA by Ivan Kavanagh (Ireland)
Produced by Brendan McCarthy (Fantastic Films)
STRANGER IN A VILLAGE by Samir (Switzerland)
Produced by Karin Koch (Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion)
SUMMER SPELL by Rinio Dragasaki (Greece)
Produced by Fenia Cossovitsa (Blonde)
THROUGH THE WINTER by Anita Rivaroli (Italy)
Produced by Fabrizio Donvito, Marco Cohen, Benedetto Habib, Daniel Campos Pavoncelli (Indiana Production)
WANNA TASTE IT
BRIANZA by Simone Catania (Italy)
Produced by Francesca Portalupi (Indyca), Nicola Bernasconi (Rough Cat)
IT’S NO BIG DEAL by Valentina Zanella (Italy)
Produced by Nicola Fedrigoni, Francesca Moino (K+)
THE NIGHT BURNS by Angelica Gallo (Italy)
Produced by Guendalina Folador (Askesis Film)
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